
DATE: Thursday, July 3, 1997                TAG: 9707020076

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E6   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Movie Review

SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC 

                                            LENGTH:   76 lines

``BRASSED'' MINES RICH VEIN OF HUMOR, PATHOS

``BRASSED OFF'' is a movie that is so rich in both humor and pathos that it sends you from the theater brushing a tear away at the same time you're bursting with laughter. It has something of the social consciousness of a ``Grapes of Wrath'' mixed with the come-from-behind brashness of ``Rocky.''

Amid all the mindless explosives at the other mall theaters, it is a welcome respite, and a reminder that characters, real characters, CAN still exist on the screen. It has the spirit of the common man, decent folk trying to make a life of it in the face of seemingly stifling outside conditions - ultimately proving that little folks DO matter.

The scene is a Yorkshire mining town threatened with joblessness. The coal pit is in danger of closing. The workers, in spite of the fact that their lungs are black with coal dust, cling feverishly to the jobs that put food on their tables. The men's main escape is through the local brass band, a group that meets weekly to rehearse - and hope. It's the only tune in their life.

Pete Postlethwaite, an actor with the kind of weathered, crinkled face that looks like it has lived, plays the band director. He hides the coughs and wheezes that betray his many years in the mines in favor of suggesting a cheerleading hope that smacks of Robert Preston in ``The Music Man.'' In fact, Grimethorpe Colliery, the little town, is a lot like River City in that it has trouble in need of exorcizing. Postlethwaite was Oscar-nominated for ``In the Name of the Father'' and is currently on view, at more theaters, in ``The Lost World: Jurassic Park.'' His better acting is on view here.

Getting more attention is new star Ewan McGregor, perhaps the most publicized actor to come out of Scotland since Sean Connery. McGregor first scored in ``Trainspotting,'' as a wired drug addict. (If you saw his toilet scene, you'll remember it forever. If you didn't, you may be better off.) He was also in ``Emma'' and will be seen soon in ``The Pillow Book,'' but his biggest coup is the fact that George Lucas has cast him as the young Obi-Alec Guinness in the next ``Star Wars'' movie. His role here is no more than the town's young fella who falls in love. (From the looks of the cast, he's the only young guy in town.) Even a role as routine as this exposes the charisma that will make him one of our biggest stars for years to come.

Tara Fitzgerald is the lass who returns to her native town, but who is working for ``management.'' The local housewives are understandably bothered when the shapely Fitzgerald joins the formerly all-male band.

The miners are faced with an all-important vote - to accept a payoff and close their mine or to keep the livelihood that gives them pride. Written and directed by Mark Herman, the film would have been better off keeping its politics to itself. It stands alone beautifully as a comedy-drama of working men faced with a dilemma. Herman felt it necessary to give yet another blast to the often-movie-maligned Margaret Thatcher reign. From the looks of the importations from Britain, the English movie industry hated Thatcher just as much as Hollywood hated Bush. Some of us would prefer the plot without the extra message.

``Brassed Off'' is the latest in grand little films that have sneaked into the lower level of Lynnhaven Mall's theaters with no advance screening or publicity. Discriminating moviegoers are advised to check the listings weekly to discover these little films.

``Brassed Off'' should not be missed. (It's sure to get a rebooking at the Naro Theater in Norfolk if Lynnhaven Mall prematurely pulls it). ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MIRAMAX

From left, Ewan McGregor, Tara Fitzgerald and Pete Postlethwaite

star in ``Brassed Off,'' a British import that is set in a Yorkshire

mining town.

Graphic

MOVIE REVIEW

``Brassed Off''

Cast: Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald, Ewan McGregor

Director and writer: Mark Herman

MPAA rating: R (language)

Mal's rating: Four stars

Location: Lynnhaven Mall, Virginia Beach